Wheat Kings leading Bandits 3-1 in round one of playoffs; game 5 tonight in Killam

The Killam Jr. B Wheat Kings were enjoying a 3-0 lead over the Lloydminster Bandits heading into Tuesday, Feb. 20’s game in Lloydminster.

The series started at home in Killam on Wednesday, Feb. 14 with a 7-1 blowout for the Wheat Kings.

Lloydminster scored their lone goal in the second, after the Wheaties had already put five in the net, with Clay Lang scoring the first period’s two goals, from Braydon Davis and Carter Ortman, then on a power play from Colten Leslie and Cole Lewis.

In the second, Tanner Eno, Brian Roth, from Dalton Zemanek and Jackson Angelstad, and Cole Lewis, from Bailey Antos and Grant Lynes, brought the score to 5-0 when Lloydminster’s Kody Gregoire ruined the shutout for Killam goaltender Brandon Deck, who saved 27 of 28 shots on goal. Killam scored one more in the second by Ortman, from Brian Roth and Lang.

Things got a little chippy in the third as tempers flared, but the Wheat Kings stayed on track to score another goal near the end of the third by Antos, from Roth and Ryan Guhle, to make the final 7-1.

Game two, also in Killam, was Friday, Feb. 16. It started much the same way as the first, with two Wheaties goals ending the first period at 2-0. Bailey Antos opened the scoring, from Landon Eskra and Ben Roth, and Clay Lang scored number two, from Dalton Zemanek and Jackson Angelstad.

In the second period, the Bandits evened it up with two goals before Ortman, from Lang and Zemanek, brought the score to 3-2 at the end of the second.

A quick goal at the very start of the third period from the Bandits tied the score at 3-3, and neither team could put a puck in the net to break the tie.

The first overtime period also went scoreless, and the second period was nearly over before Lang scored the winning goal, from Zemanek and Lewis, taking the series to 2-1 for Killam.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, the team travelled to Lloydminster where they again dominated the Bandits, taking a third straight win of the best-of-seven series with a 6-3 game.

This time Davis opened the scoring, with assistance from Lang and Lewis on a power play.

The Bandits’ Jesse Stansfield answered mid-period, briefly tying things up 1-1 when Lang, from Davis, and two minutes later Angelstad, from Zemanek, brought the score up by two to 3-1 at the end of the first period.

The Wheaties didn’t sit on their lead, but came out flying in the third, with three goals in just over two minutes.

Cookson started off with a power play goal, from Lang, at 7:17 into the second. Zemanek plowed a second by Bandits’ goalie Danton Brooks just over a minute later, from Angelstad, and Lang popped his second, and the team’s sixth goal just a minute and some change later.

The Bandits answered with their second goal late in the period, and another in the third, but couldn’t catch the Wheat Kings.

The Bandits Jaxon Payne has to have a little credit for the Wheaties’ two-goal power play, he received a goalie interference penalty, a major for fighting, and two game misconducts.

Deck was again in goal for the Wheat Kings, saving 32 of 35 shots.

Killam’s Clay Lang isn’t the only Wheat King on the playoffs Scoring Leaders list after the first three games, with second in points and goals, and fourth in assists, he’s joined there by Dalton Zemanek, third in assists, and fifth in penalty minutes.

Lang ended the regular season on top of the league for points and goals, and fourth in assists.

Lloydminster won game four in overtime on Feb. 20, avoiding a clean sweep by the Wheat Kings. The series is now 3-1 with game five taking place Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Killam Memorial Arena at 8:30 p.m.